Fifth Reformed Church is rooted in Grand Rapids' Eastgate Neighborhood, where the congregation's 1957 building stands in a community that grew around it and its story in the city reaches back to 1886. Fifth is known for “Growing Disciples Who Make Disciples,” expressed through blended worship at two Sunday gatherings, formation from infancy through senior adulthood, and service focused on homelessness, refugee welcome and literacy.
The Fifth Church in Grand Rapids, Serving Since 1886
Fifth was the fifth Reformed Church in America congregation planted in the greater Grand Rapids area. It also carried a significant distinction: at a time when the denomination's churches in the region carried a traditional Dutch heritage, Fifth chose to hold every service in English. That choice was controversial at the time, but it expresses a conviction still visible in the congregation: the message of Jesus should be comprehensible to friends, neighbors and colleagues.
A launch group of 69 people called Rev. R. H. Joldersma as pastor in spring 1886, with an annual salary of $800. The first building was a wooden structure of 1,920 square feet. During Joldersma's three-year tenure, the congregation grew to 236 families. Fifth then built a second, more permanent home at Pleasant Street and Church Place, just west of Grandville Avenue. Known as “The Church on the Hill,” it was considered a notable architectural addition to the city.
The present Griggs Street building was constructed in 1957 in what was then an open field. A neighborhood grew around it, and the congregation became an active part of the Eastgate community it now serves.
Sunday at 10:00 AM: Blended Worship in an Easy-Going Room
Fifth's main worship gathering begins at 10:00 a.m. at 2012 Griggs St. SE. Visitors enter the lobby, where the Fifth Kids check-in desk is just to the left, and the sanctuary is to the right. The church-wide phone is 616-245-9247, and the general email is contact@fifthrc.org.
The 10:00 service is held in English and combines a band with organ music. The congregation sings songs drawn from both ancient and contemporary worship, and projected words help the room sing together. The common shape of worship includes singing, reading and hearing the Word of God, and prayer.
Most people dress in business casual, although jeans, sport coats and other combinations are welcome. The explicit invitation is simple: come as you are. Seating includes main-floor pews, balcony pews, an overflow area with round tables for families or people who are less mobile, and high-top tables at the rear of the sanctuary.
A LOOP system supports people who use hearing aids. The worship service is also livestreamed on YouTube, making the 10:00 gathering available to people who cannot be in the room. After worship, the lobby becomes a place for coffee, snacks and unhurried conversation, an easy setting for meeting new friends.
Worship at Fifth is shaped by many kinds of participation. Choirs for children and adults, handbells, a worship band, instrumentalists, media volunteers, Scripture readers, writers, actors and a dance team serving from first grade through adulthood all contribute. Music can include guitars, mandolins, keyboards, drums, percussion, strings, woodwinds, brass and other instruments. Janna Lange and the worship arts team coordinate the order of worship, leaders, hospitality and the visual design of the space. An offering is also included as an act of worship.
Fifth Kids: Babies Join the Worship Before They Move Upstairs
Fifth's children's ministry begins before the opening song. Newborns through prekindergarten are welcome in the nursery, where the rooms are designed for spiritual and developmental care and where lessons use songs, play, crafts, Bible stories and prayer. The nursery, toddler and preschool areas open 15 minutes before worship, allowing families to check children in before entering the sanctuary. Each child receives a name tag, and the parent or guardian receives a matching claim tag for pickup.
Kindergarten through fifth-graders begin in the sanctuary with their families. Before the sermon, they are dismissed to Fifth Kids Worship upstairs for interactive teaching and small groups. They rejoin their parents after the service, and the adults who brought them downstairs pick them up by presenting the claim tag. Lindsey Lugo leads ministry formation from birth through fifth grade, with nursery, preschool and elementary programs on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings during the school year.
The curriculum follows the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation through The Gospel Project, a chronological curriculum designed to show how all Scripture points to Jesus. Children move through the entire Bible on a three-year cycle through interactive stories, worship songs, activities and Scripture memorization. Fifth Kids also equips parents for spiritual conversations, family devotions and prayer, seeking to make church teaching a support to the work done at home.
Fifth hosts a vacation Bible school each summer and teaches that baptism may be for infants, older children or adults. Baptisms are offered four times during the year.
Student Ministries: One Lobby, One Meal and Two Age Groups
Student ministries welcomes students in grades 6 through 12 for a shared Sunday-night life centered on loving Jesus and following him as disciples. Young people are welcome whether they already know Jesus or are simply curious about faith. Each student is connected with an adult leader, and leaders are encouraged to build relationships in students' everyday spaces of sports, performances and competition.
During the school year, middle school meets from 5:00 to 6:15 p.m. Everyone then shares a meal from 6:15 to 6:45, and high school meets from 6:45 to 8:00. These gatherings take place in the lobby in a large-group format and include teaching, relationships and shared food. Noah Prins, the Next Gen Director, oversees student and young-adult ministry and works to extend faith formation from birth through young adulthood. College students also receive recurring connection through a breakfast gathering before worship on the first Sunday of each month and through seasonal care packages assembled by women in the congregation.
Community Groups, Shared Meals and Formation for Adults
Fifth gives newcomers three graduated ways to connect. Gatherings are one-time events with a lower level of commitment. Groups usually meet weekly for six to twelve weeks and make deeper relationships possible through Bible study, prayer, parenting, financial management or other classes. Communities continue for the long term, supporting people as they seek to live and lead like Jesus in their everyday spheres of influence.
Community Groups bring together six to twelve adults and often include a shared meal. Some groups eat potluck style, some rotate hosts, and some meet on Wednesday evening so they can participate in the church meal. Their conversations often begin with the preceding sermon and move into prayer for one another. Recommended meetings last about ninety minutes to two hours, creating enough space for Scripture and relationship without turning the gathering into an all-day commitment.
Breaking Bread is an especially simple starting point. Three households join for one meal each month for three months, rotate responsibility for hosting and can meet in homes, restaurants or outdoors. The model is designed to help people who do not yet belong to a Community Group become known through the shared experience of a table.
Wednesday evenings during the school year begin with a community meal at 5:30, followed by age-related children's programming and rotating opportunities for adults. Women's ministries include Bible study, discipleship, mentoring, fellowship and events. The Tuesday morning gathering meets from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. from September through May, while Mom's Time Out meets Tuesday from 9:15 to 11:15 and includes childcare. The two women's groups welcome women at different points in life, from mothers with young children to women seeking regular Bible study and mentoring.
Men's Bible study meets Tuesday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 for fellowship, prayer and discussion. A men's breakfast gathers men Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. at Anna's House on the East Beltline from September through May. Senior Adults at Fifth meets September through June, with monthly programs open to retirees and seniors in the area. Seniors also serve through greeting, music, food service, transportation, cards and calls to homebound members. Their monthly offerings support literacy work at Mulick Park Elementary School and the media ministry of Words of HOPE.
Woodland Drive-In: Outdoor Worship at 11:00 AM Year-Round
Woodland Drive-In Church is Fifth's second worship location at 2600 Breton Road SE. Its Sunday gathering begins at 11:00 a.m. and continues year-round. The outdoor setting is designed for people to encounter the good news of Jesus, grow in faith and enter caring community at a pace that works for them. Its motto, “Drive in, tune in, and dive in,” captures the direct invitation to worship.
Pastor Nathan Longfield provides overall leadership, worship leadership, preaching, organizational planning and care for the Woodland community while also working with Fifth's staff. Woodland's separate identity gives worshippers an outdoor option without changing the shared Sunday rhythm: 10:00 a.m. at Griggs Street and 11:00 a.m. at Breton Road.
Up With God, In With Others, Out With a World in Need
Fifth describes itself as a Christ-centered congregation rooted in the Reformed theological tradition and identifies with the Reformed Church in America. Its life follows the example of Jesus in three directions: up with God, in with others, and out with a world in need. The church's four priorities are worshiping God, making disciples, developing leaders and planting churches.
The congregation looks to the Apostles, Nicene and Athanasian creeds as summaries of Christian belief. It also affirms the Heidelberg Confession, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort and the Belhar Confession as Reformed standards of unity. These affirmations of faith accompany the church's aim to teach people to live, love and lead like Jesus, including Jesus' work of mercy, justice, healing and teaching.
That outward direction is visible in the way Fifth concentrates its city service. Rather than spreading attention thinly, it names three major areas of focus: ending homelessness, welcoming refugees and building literacy.
Three City Commitments: Homelessness, Refugees and Reading
Fifth calls its service approach “Serve the Church - Serve the City” and invites people inside and outside church membership to help. Its city partnerships are deliberately focused. Family Promise anchors Fifth's place in an interfaith hospitality network that has worked since 1997 to keep families together during homelessness. The congregation contributes hosting, volunteers, meals and other support through that partnership.
Bethany Christian Services is Fifth's partner for welcoming refugees. Together they have brought people to the United States from countries where they had to flee violence, often after years in refugee camps. Fifth's commitment includes a part-time Refugee Ministries Coordinator and a sustained effort to help newly arrived people build stable, peaceful lives. Holy Mountain Community Church, a Sudanese congregation connected to Fifth's church-planting work, gathers at the Greenhouse campus on Breton Road.
For literacy, Fifth works with Plymouth Heights Christian Reformed Church and Mayflower Congregational Church as reading tutors for early-elementary students at Mulick Park Elementary School. The partnership asks volunteers to help children attain grade-level reading proficiency and supports the school with supplies and financial contributions. The Other Way, a Christ-centered community development organization focused on Grand Rapids' Westown neighborhood, is another local partner and has worked there since 1967.
Inside the church, Caritas Meal Ministry brings generations together to prepare and freeze meals later distributed to people facing circumstances such as birth, death or illness. Prayer teams, worship teams, children's and student leaders, community-group leaders, media volunteers and facility crews make service possible. People do not need to be members to volunteer in the city.
A Church That Plants Churches Near and Far
Church planting is one of Fifth's four priorities. New Ground Church was planted in 2013 and became a fully organized congregation within the Reformed Church in America in November 2019. Fifth also supports Holy Mountain and takes part in the European Church Planting Partnership with Harbor Churches, Centerpoint Church and Community Reformed Church. Together with University Church of Debrecen in Hungary, those churches are helping plant two churches on the university campus. Fifth serves as a Pioneer Partner, continuing to resource the work.
Globally, Fifth supports six RCA mission efforts. Its partners connect European church planting, leadership development in Japan, trauma recovery and education in South Sudan, Bible translation, media ministry, refugee support in Colombia and medical and water work in Mexico:
- Doug and Dianne McClintic help North American congregations partner with emerging European churches, providing coordination, support and strategy for local empowerment, collaboration and evaluation.
- Wayne and Miho Jansen invest in local Christian leaders in Japan. Wayne teaches theology and practical ministry, while Miho teaches at a girls' school founded by RCA missionaries.
- Ordained pastors Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather work with RECONCILE among South Sudanese people, emphasizing conflict transformation, trauma recovery, continued education and leadership developed locally.
- Words of HOPE proclaims the gospel through media in hard-to-reach places. Fifth has helped the ministry expand language areas in Bhutan and Nepal.
- Doug and Priscilla Higby use their professional skills with Wycliffe Bible Translators to advance Bible translation and help people encounter God through Scripture.
- JJ and Brianna Meadows work with students and churches in Bogotá, including outreach to Venezuelan refugees and immigrants.
- The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Yacolba in Yucatán partners with Fifth through an annual medical team, a clean-water project and local leadership development among Mayan communities.
Together, these relationships embody the “Global - Local - Discipling - Church Planting” pattern in which Fifth organizes its partnership work.
Pastors and Ministry Leaders for Different Stages of Life
Fifth's ministry team combines pastoral leadership with dedicated directors for children, students, worship and older adults:
- Jon Sherrill, Lead Pastor, leads the church and staff, serves as primary preacher and helps discern the congregation's direction and investment. He also guides the ordained members of the Consistory.
- Sam Eldersveld, Community Life Pastor, oversees community and care groups, preaches once a month, welcomes new people and champions initiatives addressing needs in Grand Rapids.
- Nathan Longfield, Pastor of Woodland Drive-In Church, provides leadership, worship oversight, preaching, planning and pastoral care for the Breton Road community.
- Noah Prins, Next Gen Director, coordinates student and young-adult ministries and works across the church to foster lasting faith formation from birth through young adulthood.
- Lindsey Lugo, Children's Ministries Director, leads nursery, preschool and elementary formation and partners with parents and families.
- Janna Lange, Worship Arts Director, plans Sunday worship, recruits and develops worship leaders, coordinates hospitality and oversees the visual design of worship and large events.
- Brian Telzerow, Connections Pastor, helps people connect with Christ and one another through ministries, community groups, classes and service opportunities.
- Paul Kortenhoven, Senior Adult Ministries Coordinator, builds relationships with older adults and plans monthly programs for them.
An elder team and deacon team share responsibility for the congregation's life, including membership, baptism, benevolence and care-group coordination.
Offering, Giving and the Cost of Shared Ministry
Offering is part of Sunday worship at Fifth. The church understands it as an act of worship in which people offer their whole selves to God and release what they hold tightly, rather than as a simple appeal for money. Financial giving is also framed as a spiritual practice that redirects trust and expands a giver's ability to participate in God's work.
Giving is available through Fifth's secure electronic giving service, its mobile app and mailed checks. The church also accepts appreciated stock, required distributions from IRAs, donor-advised funds and planned or estate gifts. A Mission Impact Endowment preserves principal contributions and uses annual income for mission and ministry outside the regular operating budget. Its purpose reflects the congregation's priorities of discipleship, leadership development and church planting. Giving options include these paths.
Participation is structured through gatherings, groups and communities. Membership seminars explain what God is doing at Fifth and do not require a commitment to join. The church also makes its building, greenhouse and bus available through use applications, with fees and care for the spaces set by church guidelines.
A Multigenerational Church With Room to Belong
Fifth's life spans three dimensions: worship and relationship with God, community formed across generations, and service directed toward people in need. That identity is visible each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at Griggs Street, at 11:00 a.m. at Woodland Drive-In, in classrooms and homes across Grand Rapids, and through partnerships extending from local neighborhoods to church-planting and mission work around the world. Fifth Reformed Church remains a community where growing as disciples and helping others grow as disciples belong together.